


That Which We Call a Rose

by World_Class_Izzy



Series: Fiction Academy [1]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boarding School, End game logicality, End game prinxiety, Logan & Virgil Sanders, Logan is a nerd, M/M, Mentions of Emile/Logan, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Private School AU, Rating May Change, Roman & Patton Prince, Teenagers, Twin shenanagins, and sometimes also numbers, logan and virgil twins, patton and roman twins, very obvious cameos from other fandoms, virgil really likes names
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-05-03
Packaged: 2019-10-24 07:29:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17700185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/World_Class_Izzy/pseuds/World_Class_Izzy
Summary: Welcome to Fiction Academy!Virgil Sanders is less than thrilled to be at a prestigious private school, surrounded by the most pompous people he's ever met, but if it'll make his twin brother happy then he's willing to deal... Perhaps a few new roommates will make his school year a little bit more enticing? But first, he has got to get Roman Prince to shut up.Logan Sanders has wanted to go to Fiction Academy for as long as he can remember, but what happens when it's not everything he dreamed it would be? He's never felt so alone and lost... But maybe, just maybe, if he can embrace new things and new friends he'll find whatever it is that he's looking for - and maybe Patton Prince can help with that.***This story is going to be filled with some self-indulgent shenanigans! Enjoy~!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to Fiction Academy! 
> 
> This is the first in what I hope will be a multi-story series. I'm really excited about it, so please leave a comment! <3
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Going to boarding school wouldn’t have been Virgil’s first choice, but he had to admit that it was worth it to see the smile on his brothers face. It was a rare treat that he was glad to enjoy as they listened to their tour guide. 

Logan’s smile only brightened to a grin as they entered the school's three-story library.

“If you keep making that face it’s going to get stuck that way,” Virgil chuckled quietly, nudging his twin playfully as a smile of his own slipped onto his usually-dismal face. 

“Actually, though a common phrase, that is factually untrue. Unless of course, a person were to have a disorder, such as spasmodic torticollis or blepharospasm, there is no evidence that the human face will get stuck in any sort of voluntary position.” Despite his level tone, Logan playfully rolled his eyes and nudged Virgil back. “Now please be quiet. I’m trying to listen; apparently, this library is the oldest building on the campus and holds a great deal of history dating as far back as World War Two.” 

Virgil rolled his eyes mockingly but obediently stayed quiet so Logan could listen to the tall girl speaking. She had said her name was Pearl, and Virgil couldn’t refrain from thinking that the name suited her perfectly - her white-pink hair and pale skin, accompanied by a pastel dress and pearl necklace, seemed to be in perfect alignment with what she was called.

It wasn’t uncommon for people to say that Virgil was obsessed with names, and though Virgil couldn’t agree that obsessed was the correct term, it was true that he had a fascination in the alias’ people used. His own name had never felt quite right on his tongue and he envied those who had the perfect descriptors. 

Like Logan, for example. Their parents had named Virgil’s twin perfectly. Logan was an intellectual, far smarter than Virgil or anyone else their age, and he excelled in facts and logic. The name Logan often reminded Virgil of the literary device of logos - perhaps not so coincidentally, the Greek word for logic - which defines itself as a statement, sentence, or argument used to convince or persuade an audience by employing reason. It was fitting, as Logan often won any argument he entered. 

But Virgil? He couldn’t find any significance in his own name. He’d looked it up once too, only to find it was the name of a famous poet, but not much else to be known about it. Virgil knew he wasn’t a poet, he could barely speak eloquently, much less burst forth with the flowery language necessary to be a poet. Even Urban Dictionary had been of no help, insisting that the name implied a “super chill” person with a “bangin bod.” As a teenager with anxiety who had never entered a gym in his life, Virgil was inclined to disagree with such a description. 

Virgil was pulled from his thoughts as the group began to move again, heading towards the libraries exit. Looking down at the map in his hand, Virgil guessed that they would be heading to the auditorium where they had started. According to the itinerary, there would be a closing statement from their principal before they were finally given an hour to say farewell to their parents and find their dorms. 

He sighed heavily and folded the map before shoving it into the deep pockets of his sweater. This time tomorrow the comfortable garment would no longer be allowed during school hours as he donned the school uniform during classes. He already mourned the loss. 

Uniforms… Historical libraries… Tall girls with expensive jewellery… None of it seemed to be things Virgil associated with himself. He was doing this to appease Logan, and the thought of Logan’s smile was the only thing keeping him from begging their parents to get a refund and take them home. 

Honestly, Virgil could understand Logan’s need to be here. Virgil supposed that being the boy-genius his twin was, it must be difficult to attend public school in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by students whose only dreams seemed to be taking over the family farm or finding enough stability to support their coke habits. Sure, Virgil also had bigger dreams than their small home town provided, but nothing that competed with Logan’s hundreds of aspirations. 

So no, Virgil didn’t want to go to a private boarding school, seven hours from home and surrounded by people who looked much more excited than he was, but it was worth it.

For Logan. 

***

Logan wasn’t typically one to get so… Excited. Loud emotions often led to misunderstandings or overindulgence, and so Logan preferred to steer clear entirely. However, it wasn’t every day that he got led towards his new dorm for the first time, at the school he’d been dreaming about since his parents had announced he’d get to go to a private high school. It felt like a reward for putting up with public schools since kindergarten. 

Of course, he knew Virgil was less ecstatic, but he also knew that Virgil had agreed for Logan’s happiness. Their parents had insisted they couldn’t be separated, so either they both went or neither did, and Virgil had been so kind to agree immediately. Logan couldn’t ask for a better twin. 

“Logan, dear, I think this is it!” His mother's voice tripped him out of his thoughts and he looked up suddenly from his map. Both his parents were standing near room number 101, the letters printed boldly above the door. He nodded, recognizing the number and smiling as he fished the key from his pocket. 

“Thank you, mum,” he said politely as he approached, key ready in his hand. He took a deep breath before unlocking the door and walking in. His mother immediately began to animatedly talk about the rooms boring decor, making suggestions on changes, but Logan was rendered quiet.

Finally, this all felt so real. His own dorm. At the perfect school. He’d be placed in classes with people based on his skill level, not his age, and the idea alone made him so happy he nearly felt like crying.

Nearly. 

“Where’s the other bed?” 

Virgil’s question came just as Logan sat down on the only bed in the room. The intellectual twin looked around, suddenly just as confused as Virgil had sounded. “Excellent question. Perhaps I misread the-”

“Nope! You read correctly. The Sanders family, I presume?” The twins and their parents turned abruptly to see who had spoken. A short man with curly black hair and brown eyes behind glasses smiled at them from outside the door, a clipboard in his hands. “I was hoping you’d be here already. I’m glad I found you so I can clear up some of the confusion.” The man, who Logan could only assume was a member of staff judging by the insignia on his jacket, reached out to shake Logan’s fathers’ hand. “My name is Ittetsu Takeda, though Virgil and Logan will likely only come to know me as Takeda. I’m one of the boys' dormitory supervisors, as well as the lead literacy teacher and the male volleyball clubs’ faculty advisor.”

“That’s a lot of titles,” Virgil muttered as he sat next to Logan on the single bed. Logan only nodded in response. 

“As it happens, there was a slight mix-up in the original room assignments we had sent out earlier in the year,” Takeda continued, speaking more to their parents than to the twins. “We room our students based on their grades and performance levels, and since reviewing the original assignments we noticed that Logan Sanders’ grades far exceed the rooming areas he applied for.”

Virgil and Logan raised a brow in unison, both seemingly unamused. “Yes, that was intentional,” Logan stated matter-of-factly, “The preferred outcome was for us to share a room.” 

Virgil nodded his agreement, a frown forming on his face. 

Takeda nodded, a sad smile on his face as he spoke. “I understand entirely. Unfortunately, first-year students aren’t granted the privilege of selection and all the room assignments are currently locked in place.”

Virgil’s frown deepened, and Logan’s brow furrowed.

“What I can do,” Takeda started, clicking his pen as he turned to face his keyboard, “Is place a notice. If someone from a two-bed or a group-room drops out or causes a significant issue with their roommates at any point in the year, you’ll be notified and I will be able to rearrange the room assignments to better suit you both.” 

Logan could see his twin biting his lip, clearly anxious by the situation, but before either of them could argue their father interjected. “That sounds just fine Mr Takeda,” he stated, “Thank you for your assistance.” 

With a smile, Takeda nodded, “Of course! And just Takeda is fine; the school doesn’t enforce the use of a prefix before a teachers surname. It’s a good way to allow both our students and teachers to feel comfortable identifying as whatever they’d like without the need of telling others before they’re comfortable.” He wrote something quickly on his clipboard, humming to himself as he did so. “Virgil Sanders, we have you listed in room 11. It’s a group-room, so you’ll have three roommates! What a great chance to make new friends.”

Virgil grimaced at the thought but was silent. 

“Well then, boys,” Takeda grinned, bright and genuine, at the both of them, “Welcome to Fiction Academy! Feel free to find me if you have any questions.”

***

After bidding farewell to their parents, Virgil and Logan set off to find the group-room. The twins walked in comfortable silence, a common occurrence for them, each lost in their own thoughts. 

Virgil wasn’t happy. He dared not say anything, for fear of wrecking Logan’s exciting vision of the school year to come, but Virgil wasn’t sure he’d be able to handle a room without Logan - much less with three strangers. 

Both twins had anxiety, a shared trait since they were quite young, and they relied heavily upon each other to handle it. Virgil was always able to ground Logan, assuring him that his emotions were valid, while Logan had always been able to help Vigil see the truths in any given situation. They needed each other. They always had.

But now… Virgil wasn’t sure how their dynamic would work, three floors away from each other. 

It didn’t take long to find room 11 and both twins broke free of their thoughts as they stood outside the door. 

“Bright side,” Logan began, refolding his map of the building to place in the pocket of his jeans, “At least you are on the first floor. I have the unfortunate circumstance of being three floors up.”

Virgil nodded, forcing a small chuckle, “Yeah. Have fun with those stairs.” 

Logan crossed his arms and chuckled as well. As both twins faded to silence, they stared at the door before them. 

Door 11… Virgil’s thoughts spiralled into different meanings of the number, and what they might indicate about his future. He supposed many people thought of 11:11 pm as a time of good luck, so perhaps the number bodes well; on the other hand, Saint Augustine stated once that the number 11 is the blazon of sin, so perhaps he shouldn’t get his hopes up.

“Guess I should be heading in,” Virgil mumbled, fingers anxiously twisting in the straps of his duffel bag. 

Logan eyed him warily before heaving a sigh and nodding. “I suppose you should. You’ll have to eventually, in any case. Would you like for me to join you?”

Virgil shook his head. “Nah, I’ll be fine. You should go unpack. Don’t you still have colour-coding to finish for your notebooks?” 

Logan nodded but otherwise said nothing in response. 

“Okay. Cool. I’ll see you tomorrow then.” 

Again, Logan nodded but said nothing. 

“What’s going on in that big head of yours?” Virgil questioned, turning a serious eye on his brother. “Usually I can’t get you to shut up.”

Logan winced, clearly bothered by being caught in his silence. “I’m just worried,” he began, speaking slowly as he picked his words carefully, “that perhaps I have… Unintentionally… Forced you into a situation you are not comfortable with.”

Silence reigned for a few moments before Virgil released a sigh and nudged Logan gently, allowing a smile to grace his features. “Don’t be like that,” he spoke quietly, “If you want to be here, then so do I. Promise.” 

Though hesitant at first, it seemed that was all the reassurance Logan needed. “Alright.” He nudged Virgil back, a silent thank-you, before turning on his heel to head back to his room. “Text me if you need anything.” 

Virgil watched him walk down the hall, eventually disappearing up the nearby staircase. 

Turning back to door 11, Virgil straightened up and pulled in a breath to fill his lungs. It was now or never. He had to do this.

For Logan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come yell at me on Tumblr, okay? @world-class-izzy
> 
> Please leave comments (!!!) to request cameos from your favourite characters, to tell me what you'd like to see next, or just to tell me what you think so far!
> 
> <3


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remy and Emile appear!

Virgil’s first hour in his room was mainly uneventful.

When he first walked in, someone wearing sunglasses and skinny jeans was sleeping on the red leather couch. It appeared that they’d fallen asleep while watching TV, and as Virgil pulled his duffel bag and suitcase towards one of the empty beds he could see that an episode of RuPaul's Drag Race was nearing its end. 

Other than the sleeping body, there didn’t appear to be anyone else present.

Sighing heavily, Virgil had begun unloading his belongings. The beds were equipped with blue and pink sheets, the primary colours of the school's logo, as well as large duvet comforters and soft black pillows. Virgil was quick to switch out the black pillows for his own star-shaped purple ones. 

Across the large room, four desks sat side-by-side, each empty. As Virgil chose the desk nearest the back of the room, he couldn’t help but think that Logan would hate the set-up. Both twins liked to have time alone, and both of them shared the need for silence when studying, and the large room would limit Virgil’s ability to do both. 

It was when Virgil was finishing setting up his desk that the person on the couch finally woke up.

The purple-clad teen didn’t notice at first, his focus was taken fully by the arrangement of his notebooks. He was startled enough the gasp when the stranger cleared their throat, the noise breaking the previous silence like thunder in the night. Virgil spun around to see the stranger staring at him over the couch, sunglasses still sitting high on their nose and a smirk sitting lopsided on their lips.

The silence was deafening, and somehow Virgil could tell he was expected to speak first. There was something mocking in the strangers' smirk, something that screamed dominance and an ability to get what they wanted, and it scared Virgil slightly - not that his fear was visible, of course, as he hid it behind an irritated scowl. The silence continued as Virgil searched for words; something, anything to say to this person he didn’t know.

He let his scowl drop into an indifferent straight line, dropping a notebook onto his desk carelessly before crossing his arms. “I’m Virgil. Looks like we’re roommates.”

“Mm-hmm,” the stranger hummed in reply, smirk growing and reminding Virgil of a Cheshire cat. 

“Do you have a name?”

“‘Course I do, doll.”

Virgil’s scowl returned with a vengeance. Who the hell was this guy? “Care to share?”

“Not really.”

“Fine.” Virgil turned back to his desk and straightened up the notebook he’d dropped before turning and walking back to his bed. He heard rustling on the couch and could feel eyes on him as the sound from the television cut out. Refusing to look, Virgil sat on his bed with his back towards his nameless roommate. 

Was there not supposed to be two more? Where the hell were they? Virgil hoped desperately that they weren’t as annoying as the one he was currently dealing with.

Another hour passed as Virgil plugged in his laptop, set up his alarm clock, and played aimlessly on his phone. At some point, he got a text from Logan stating that the opening banquet dinner was set to begin around seven that evening, and they agreed to meet outside the dorm building around six-thirty so they could walk to the dining hall together. Throughout all of it, Virgil felt unsettled. He could feel eyes on his back, studying his movements and activities. 

When he finally chanced a look behind himself, the lonesome twin wasn’t surprised to see his roommate leaning over the couch to watch him closely. The sunglasses remained ever present, and their body was so still that for a moment Virgil thought the strange person had fallen asleep again. He was proven to be wrong when the person smirked and waved his fingers in a mock-greeting. 

Virgil huffed and looked away once more. 

“Aren’t there supposed to be, like, two other people here?” the twin asked, refusing to look back at his strange roommate and instead opting to play a mindless game on his phone. 

“Indeed there are.” 

Virgil huffed. “Any idea why they aren’t here?”

Virgil could hear the grin in the other's voice when they replied, “Oh, Roman and Patton won’t be arriving until after dinner, sweetheart. Their plane was delayed on their way home from New York, and it sent their schedules spiralling!” 

Silence reigned for a few moments as Virgil took in the information. He was curious about how whatever-their-name-was knew so much about the missing roommates - Patton and Roman, apparently - but he wasn’t going to comment. 

“Well, I better start getting ready for the banquet,” the stranger stated, “You should as well, doll. You look terrible.”

Virgil huffed again, grimace growing steadily into a strong scowl. Already, he wasn’t looking forward to the year ahead. 

***

Logan sighed as he threw his phone haphazardly onto his bed. He and Virgil had made plans to meet up before dinner so they could walk to the banquet together, but that still meant he had time to burn. Of course, he wanted to organize and colour code his school supplies… But his mind felt far too distracted. 

Though he was overjoyed to be attending Fiction Academy, he had to admit that things were shaping up to have a bit of a rocky start. 

As he began unpacking some clothing mindlessly, hanging up his dress shirts and pants in his spacious closet, Logan supposed that most students would give anything for a room to themselves and he should be thankful. However, the floors between Virgil and himself felt terribly far… The two had shared a room since birth, and neither had ever expressed a desire to change that. It was comfortable. 

But this? A new room, with only one bed and no signs of anyone but himself? Logan felt lonely, and frankly, he felt a little bit lost.

He’d gotten the majority of his clothes put away when his thoughts were interrupted abruptly by a knock on his door. 

Logan raised a brow in curiosity. It was likely Virgil, but why? Unless Logan had made a serious miscalculation, they weren’t set to meet for another half hour or so. 

Despite his uncertainty, he walked swiftly to the door and opened it.

It wasn’t Virgil. In fact, it was someone Logan didn’t recognize at all; someone that Logan found undeniably, incredible, absolutely… Pretty. From stunning chocolate eyes, to lovely bronze hair - and were those pink highlights among the soft waves? Logan stared, taking in the sight, mouth slightly gaped in his surprise.

He almost didn’t hear the stranger begin talking. 

“Hidey ho neighbour!” the young man said cheerfully, a slight giggle in his voice, “My name is Emile Picani. I live just next door in room 102.”

Logan said nothing, still staring, but Emile didn’t seem too disturbed.

“I’m sorry to just drop in like this. I really want to get us started on the right foot, so I decided to bring you these!” Emile held out a small container filled with what appeared to be sugar cookies decorated with the faces of various cartoon characters. “I hope you aren’t allergic to sugar cookies,” the pretty boy continued, though now he seemed slightly unsure of himself, “Or, uh, buttercream frosting. I know cartoon characters are a bit silly but…”

Logan snapped out of his daze suddenly, shaking his head. “No! No, they’re… Umm… They’d fantastic. Thank you.” WIth a bit of hesitance, he took the container from Emile. For a moment, the two of them were quiet, neither looking quite at each other, until Logan cleared his throat and caught Emile’s attention. “Would you… Would you like to come in?”

“Oh!” Emile smiled brightly, clearly surprised by the offer. “Sure! I’d love to.”

Logan nodded and lead the way to the bed, sitting carefully with the cookies on his lap. He gestured, slightly awkwardly, for Emile to take a seat beside him. “My name is Logan Sanders,” he mentioned belatedly, “Thank you for the cookies. It’s very kind of you.”

Melodic laughter filled the room as Emile smiled brightly. “No need to thank me,” he insisted, resting a hand gently on Logan’s shoulder, “I’m just glad you reacted well! Last year my neighbour thought I was joking entirely.”

Logan nodded, contemplating the words. Emile wasn’t a first year then, he realized. It was likely the young man was a third year than; he didn’t look much older than Logan and Virgil. “Well,” he started slowly, “Your roommates last year clearly don’t know proper manners.” 

Emiled shrugged, a smiled still gracing his lovely face. “You should try one,” he stated enthusiastically, “I haven’t even tried one from this batch! You have to tell me if they're good.”

Nodding, the twin opened the container and scanned the cookies. A slight smile graced his features when he caught sight of a character he was rather fond of. He picked it up and was quick to take a bite - he was pleasently surprised to find that the treats tastes amazing. 

“Delicious,” he told Emile matter-of-factly after he’d swallowed his bite.

Emile’s ever-present smile grew bigger, almost radiant in his clear happiness. “I’m so glad!” His excitement was almost contagious as he brought his hands into the air to move around as he spoke. “I love baking, y’know? And cartoons! So I thought, mixing the two? Fantastic!” 

It was hard not to chuckle and nod in agreement, and Logan found himself not minding Emile’s happy personality despite its difference to his own. He supposed that Emile’s pretty face and lovely voice may be influencing his opinion as he typically would dislike such a happy-go-lucky disposition, but he couldn’t find it in himself to mind. 

The two boys stayed sitting on Logan’s bed for a while, munching on cookies and getting to know each other. Logan found himself feeling a relieved to have already made a friend so quickly… He hoped that, for once, he could make it last.

It felt like only minutes later when a round of loud knocking banged on Logan’s door once again, but this time the rapping against the wooden door didn’t stop, even as Logan stood to go answer it. 

“Were you expecting someone?” Emile asked, sounding slightly nervous, “I can leave-”

Logan shook his head. “I don’t think I had planned for anyone to visit…” He hurried to the door, muttering under his breath as the knocking continued - who was so persistant to see him that they couldn’t use some common curtousey?! 

When he opened the door, Logan was surprised to see Virgil standing there with an expression of both annoyance and worry. 

“You’re not dead,” the purple-clad twin stated, crossing his arms.

Logan’s brow furrowed in confusion. “I- No? Why would you draw such a proposterous conclusion?” 

Emile suddenly appeared close behind Logan, smiling brightly. “Hey there!” he greeted Virgil, “You must be Logan’s brother, right?” 

Virgil stared, eyes flickering between Logan and Emile for a moment. “Yes,” he finally answered, his voice strained, “And you are?”

Logan cleared his throat, stepping back a bit to give the two a cleared view of each other. “Virgil, this is Emile Picani. He lives next door to me. Emile, this is my brother, Virgil Sanders.” 

The awkward tension in the room was palpable as the two shook hands, though Logan couldn’t place exactly why and Emile didn’t seem to notice at all.

“It’s so nice to meet you, Virgil,” Emile stated with his usual smile, “Wow, you and Logan look so similar!”

“Well, we are twins,” Virgil mumbled, crossing his arms quickly after shaking Emile’s hand. “Um… Logan? Are you ready to go or…?”

Logan’s eyes widened. “What?” He ran over to his bed and grabbed his discarded phone, wincing at the time. It was already almost seven. “Virgil, I’m terribly sorry. I suppose I lost track of time-”

Virgil sighed, shrugging as he walked into the room and flopped backwards onto the bed. “No sweat, Lo. Just hurry up, yeah?”

Logan nodded his agreement and turned to Emile. Before he could say anything, Emile smiled gently and shook his hands through the air as though to dismiss anything Logan might say. “No worries, Logan, I’ll let you get ready. See you at the banquet?”

Again, Logan nodded his agreement. 

Emile smiled again, the look soft and sweet on his pretty face. He surprised both twins when he quickly pulled Logan into a hug. “Awesome! See you both soon.” He waved to Virgil before making his exit.

The twins were quiet as the door closed with a small thud, but the silence was broken by a chuckle from Virgil. “He’s cute,” he stated.

“I…” Logan’s face burned red and he shook his head hard. “I suppose so. I hadn’t noticed.” Quickly, he went to his closet to find proper attire. Virgil was wearing a purple suit jacket and black dress pants with a plain white t-shirt, so Logan decided to do the same but switched the purple for navy-blue. 

“Sure you hadn’t,” Virgil laughed, “Keep telling yourself that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I loved writing this chapter, even if I have difficulties writing Emile!
> 
> This story does have an end game of Prinxiety and Logicality, but I think a high school setting is more realistic if the boys struggle with other crushes and relationships... I hope that's okay everyone!
> 
> Come yell at me on Tumblr (@world-class-izzy) or leave a comment(!!!)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mostly exposition...

Getting to the banquet was easy; Logan and Virgil followed the map, as well as the clusters of other students that seemed to be heading the same direction, and found themselves outside the large dining hall. It almost resembled a church in its grand stature, standing tall and intimidating on the top of a small hill that overseen the majority of the rest of the campus. 

As they neared the entrance, the twins shared a quiet conversation about the large, silvery, ancient doors. The dining hall was equipped to accommodate over three hundred students each meal, and yet only one entry allowed said students to get in and out every day. When Logan had relayed this information to Virgil months ago, the purple-clad twin had been alarmed, however, his panic hadn’t lasted long seeing as the school had taken precautions to make the situation safe; at any given time, a set of at least three campus-security guards stood by the doors to chaperone the coming’s and going’s of the students.

The doors themselves were nothing the gawk at either. 

During the day, the doors were kept open to avoid students being unable to open them being that their weight was at least four hundred pounds each, opening in either direction. Though made of wood - Logan guessed Oak - the doors were a shining silver colour, well maintained by the staff of the academy and looking no more weathered than the day they’d been made. Rather than doorknobs, the nine-foot doors were adorned with gold panels, and rather than proper locks, the doors had easy-to-reach latches that were rarely used - Logan had assured Virgil that the dining hall was available for student use at nighttime, be it for studying or student-arranged dances and small snacks were left out 24/7 for any and all to enjoy.

The hall was set up quite similarly to the Hogwarts dining hall, as depicted by the movies - or so Logan had described to Virgil - but with an extra area, void of tables, for dances. There was even a DJ booth, which Virgil had to admit was exciting. 

For the opening ceremony, the schools' colours of pink and blue were on full display in the form of ribbons and balloons all around the dining hall. Virgil and Logan’s eyes rolled in unison at the centrepieces on the tables; to the untrained eye they were pretty enough, pink carnations paired with blue campanula’s within white vases, but to Virgil and Logan they seemed silly in meaning. Their mother was a florist, after all, and had taught them the language of flowers. 

Pink carnations, their mother had said, have always been used to express the undying love of a mother. She always bought the boys pink carnations on their birthdays. 

Campanula’s, or bellflowers, she said, signified only gratitude. The twins always included them in her annual birthday bouquet. 

Paired together, the two flowers could make a great amount of sense, perhaps on mothers day… But for a school banquet? Logan and Virgil couldn’t help their snickers and quiet jokes as they found seats beside each other. 

***

Dinner was delicious, much to the boys' pleasure. Virgil commented that it was better than their previous cafeteria food, and Logan found himself happy that his twin was making an effort to live this private school. 

While eating, the dean made a welcome speech and various members of staff followed, welcoming new students and wishing everyone luck with their studies. New teachers and staff were introduced, but for Logan and Virgil, all the staff were new so it hardly mattered. 

Virgil did, however, find himself intrigued by many of the teachers. Without the use of a prefix, many teachers chose to go by their first names, and so Virgil’s mind was free to venture off into what each name meant and how he imagined these people to act and behave. 

For example, the music teacher Greg Universe; aside from his last name, which Logan insisted had to be fake, the name Greg often indicated someone to be watchful and a leader. The teachers short and loud speech seemed to pair with his name well, as he seemed like a leader and someone excited for adventure, but Logan insisted that Virgil hold his assumptions and wait until he met the teachers personally to judge. 

Virgil merely shrugged. 

After the food and speeches and mandatory review of the school rules, the dance floor opened for a school-wide celebratory welcome dance. 

“We should leave.” Logan’s voice left no room for argument as he stood with his plate, prepared to drop it in the nearest rack for the used dishes. 

Virgil nodded, muttering an agreement. He wasn’t surprised Logan wanted to leave, and honestly, he couldn’t agree more - neither of the twins had ever been very interested in things like dancing or socializing. 

Just as the two were heading towards the large, intimidating doors, Virgil’s shoulder was grabbed by a sudden hand. 

“Logan!” Emile shouted, voice unnecessarily loud so far from the dance floor where the music was surely blasting loud enough to burst an eardrum, “Logan, where are you going?! You gotta come dance with-”

Virgil shook his head quickly, gesturing with his thumb towards his twin who had turned to watch the interaction quickly after he realized Virgil wasn’t following. “Nope. You’ve got the wrong one.” He cleared his throat, cheeks going slightly pink as Emile continued to watch him intently. “I’m purple. He’s blue.” Playing with the lapels of his jacket, he stepped back from Emile and nudged Logan towards the pretty boy. Virgil wondered absently if he should be worried that an older guy had seemingly taken interest in his brother, but shrugged it off quickly. Logan could handle himself. “I’ll… I’ll leave you two alone.”

He turned to leave, fully prepared to venture to his room and hopefully be asleep before his new roommates arrived, but Logan grabbing his hand suddenly stopped him. 

“Don’t leave,” Logan stated, but it sounded more like a pleaded question. The blue-clad twins’ eyes shifted and his cheeks turned red. “I’ve never done… This… Before…” He trailed off, voice quiet as he gestured slightly to Emile who stood a few feet away, patiently rolling on the balls of his feet. “It would be… Beneficial, I believe, if you were to, um…” 

Laughing, Virgil continued his twins' sentence and asked, “Be your wingman? Sure. But I’m not dancing. I’ll be sitting at a table if you need me.”

The twins nodded at each other, plan in place, and went their separate ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... This chapter happened.
> 
> Sorry it's so short! I filled up a lot of expositional stuff and didn't want to overwhelm anyone... It's about half the length on normal chapters so I'm going to try to double the length on the next chapter.
> 
> Next chapter is already on the way and I LOVE it... Be prepared~ 
> 
> Please leave comments & come bug me on Tumblr (@world-class-izzy)


	4. Chapter 4

Logan swore his face was on fire as he made his way back to Emile. The older teen was just so…

Pretty.

“What’s up doc?” Emile inquired with a giggle as Logan approached. He’d put pink barrettes in his hair, holding his soft locks away from his chocolate eyes, and Logan found himself endeared by them. 

Everything about Emile seemed to be short-circuiting his brain. For a moment, he considered that he may need a doctors appointment if his face was planning to continue in its flushed appearance. 

Clearing his throat, Logan held out a hand to Emile. His eyes shifted to avoid the others gaze as he muttered, “Would you like to… To dance? It appears that the other students are doing so. I wouldn’t want you to miss out on… On the fun.” 

Emile nodded so quickly that Logan was worried he’d get whiplash, but Emile seemed to have suffered to injuries and was quick to take Logan's hand between both of his own. “Yeah! Let's go!”

Though he wasn’t ecstatic to be joining a crowded dance floor, Logan couldn’t help but smile at Emile’s eagerness. The boy with pink highlights seemed to be excited by everything and everyone, waving to people Logan didn’t know and shouting excitedly about how the current song was his absolute favorite.

Logan didn’t comment when the song changed and Emile repeated the same sentiment to the new pop sensation.

They reached the center on the dance floor, surrounded by countless bodies all moving in chaotic tandem, and Logan gulped. 

“C’mon!” Emile urged as he finally released Logan's hand, “You’re so stiff, Lo-Lo, loosen up!” He giggled happily, hands flying into the air as he jumped along to the rhythm of the loud song. His smile was blinding.

“Oh… Uh…” Logan floundered. He’d never done this before. He didn’t know how. Suddenly he felt stuck in place, slowly being swallowed by the darkness that swarmed past his eyes. If he just copied Emile, would it not be obvious that he didn’t know what to do? But if he didn’t, then what was he supposed to do instead? Logan’s chest felt too tight. 

Emile was never going to talk to him again if he panicked now. He needed to get a hold of himself. Here he was, standing with a pretty, older boy who seemed interested in him, and he was going to blow it in five seconds. 

Logan pulled in the deepest breath he could manage, but it didn’t help. Nothing was helping. 

He felt trapped.

He couldn’t do this. 

This wasn’t supposed to-

“Hey? Lo-Lo?” 

Suddenly a hand was gently sliding up and down his arm a few times before stopping at his wrist to gently hold his hand. “Everything alright?” Emile asked.

Logan squeezed his eyes shut to avoid confronting the fact that Emile’s mouth was hovering just beside his ear so he could hear the hushed whispers. 

Emile started to pull back with a small smile, “We don’t have to dance-” 

“No!”

The two stared at each other for a moment before Logan cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses. With Emile’s hand in his, he suddenly felt a little bit better… Just enough to see again. “No. I’m sorry. I want to dance… I just…” He trailed off. His hand gripped Emile’s unconsciously.

Somehow, though Logan couldn’t comprehend how, Emile seemed to understand. The other student squeezed Logan’s hand gently and grabbed the twins free hand as well. “Like this,” he giggled, swinging their arms slightly to the beat of the music. “Just follow me, okay?”

Logan nodded and did as instructed. Slowly, very slowly, his stiff posture loosened and his straight arms bent to allow further movement.

“There you go!” Emile encouraged, grinning, “You’ve got it Lo-Lo!”

Logan found himself grinning too, infected by Emile’s happy disposition and enjoying himself. His cheeks continued to burn red, now from excitement rather than nerves. He found himself laughing along with Emile as the beat dropped and everyone on the floor - himself included - jumped along with the powerful thumping that echoed in their bones. 

No, this wasn’t typical behaviour for the logical, mature, level-headed teenager, but he was having fun. And if Emile pulled Logan just a little too close during Shakira’s classic “Hips Don’t Lie,” well… Logan wasn’t about to complain.

***

Virgil had to admit that he was surprised to watch Logan disappear onto the dance floor with Emile Picani, but he wasn’t about to ruin his brothers fun. Emile seemed nice enough, and Logan clearly found him intriguing… 

Regardless, the idea of Logan on a dance floor made Virgil stifle a laugh. Logan Sanders could barely stand public transport on a good day, much less a crowded sea of teenagers. He could only imagine the awkward shifting and weird vocabulary that Emile was being subjected to.

The thought was enough to keep Virgil's mind busy for ten minutes or so before he was inevitably facing the reality that he was sitting alone at an empty table, only a couple meters away from a bouncing dance floor… Sighing, he resigned himself to a slow few hours and laid his head against the table. If only he’d brought his phone… 

But he was willing to deal with the boredom.

For Logan.

***

Loud, boisterous, catchy - if terribly written - pop songs played for well over an hour before a slower tune swept over the horde of teenagers. Logan found himself laughing and smiling as Emile dragged him along to the edge of the crowd, exclaiming that he needed a minute to catch his breath.

“Then why are we running?” Logan asked, voice still shouting because that had been the norm for so long. “That’s entirely counterproductive!” 

Emile laughed in return. “Oh shush! Just follow me!” 

Logan continued laughing but complied even as they exited the crowd entirely and began to make their way towards the dining halls only exit. The large doors were still open, and Logan found it likely that they would remain that way until the students had made their way to their dorm rooms. 

Logan and Emile managed to leave the building mostly unnoticed, both still laughing from their adrenaline high and blushing from the exertion of dancing. 

How was Emile still so pretty with his face such a dark shade of red?

“What’re we doing out here?” Logan finally asked once they’d made their way to the side of the building. It was surprisingly empty, and the sound of music from the party indoors could still be heard through the thick walls. 

The cool air was enough for Logan to finally start to calm down, his voice lowering to a more acceptable volume and his laughing fading out to merely a large smile. The shape felt odd on his face, but he couldn’t find it in himself to mind. 

Emile himself also seemed to be calming down, though his smile was still just as bright as always. Logan was struck by how much older the teen looked, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, arms hanging loosely by his side. “I told you. We’re catching our breath. Staying in there too long can be a lot…” He trailed off for a moment before his eyes opened, catching Logan’s gaze easily. He let loose a giggle before closing his eyes once more. “You seemed to be having fun.”

“I was,” Logan agreed, still staring unabashedly at Emile, “I still am.”

Emile nodded. “Good. I’m glad. You seemed so stiff and awkward earlier… I’m happy you’re having a good time.”

Stiff and awkward? 

Logan wouldn’t necessarily refer to himself as stiff and awkward - his anxiety might, but on a good day, Logan would rather see himself as poised and professional. Mature, even.

But maybe Emile had a point? Logan shifted nervously as he considered that perhaps he came off as a little… odd. 

“I was just nervous,” he finally stated. He knew to lie was probably a bad choice, but he really wanted Emile to like him. “Yeah… Uh… Sometimes I’m just like that around new people.” 

“Oh!” Emile’s eyes opened, again landing on Logan, and the boy grinned. “Well, that makes a ton of sense. I totally get that. Gosh, I’m so happy that you’re already feeling more comfortable around me. This is great! You’re great! Ah, we’re gonna be great friends and I’m so excited and-”

Logan leaned against the wall beside Emile, listening to the other student go on and on about anything and everything for a while. At some point, they slid down the side of the wall until they were seated on the grass, leaning gently against each other while Emile talked.

He would never say it out loud, but Logan found himself slightly overwhelmed by just how long Emile could talk and talk and talk… 

At some point, the endless talking started to slow until Emile was silent for a long moment. Logan didn’t comment. Honestly, the break was sort of welcome, even if Emile did have such a gorgeous voice to listen to. 

Said voice wasn’t silent for terribly long. “The stars are really pretty tonight.”

When Emile didn’t continue, Logan nodded his agreement. The two stared at the stars for a few minutes before Logan cleared his throat and said, “Actually, the light we’re seeing is not from tonight. It is from many, many years ago. The light from stars travels an incredibly long distance to reach the Earth and-”

“That’s so cool,” Emile interrupted, now looking at Logan with wide eyes. “I wanna go to space someday. How cool would that be? So cool!” 

Logan hummed in agreement. “I suppose it would be. I’d rather study the stars from a distance.”

“So an astronomer?”

“An astrophysicist, actually.” 

When Emile had no response, Logan looked over at him. He contained a soft sigh at the confused look on the others face… It was all too familiar. Nobody from his former high school had understood either. To them, he was just the local nerd.

“It is like an astronomer,” he said, forcing a smile, “Just… Fancier.”

Emile nodded with a giggle. “Okay. Well, that sounds really cool. I guess you must be really smart.” 

Logan shrugged. 

“Well,” Emile continued, “I think you’re smart, anyway. I saw a few of the textbooks in your room were from the Level Four classes. I’m in my second year, but most of my classes are still Level One.”

Logan’s brow furrowed slightly. “Really?” he asked, “That seems unlikely to me.”

“No, really!” Emile laughed, leaning further against Logan, “I’m not good in classroom settings…” 

“Then how are our rooms in the same wing?” Logan inquired, ignoring the blush rising up his neck from their close proximity.

Emile sighed. “I’m in a Level Four parenting class and a Level Three Psychology class. My grades are good enough in those that my dad was able to pay just a bit extra to have me in the smart-kid wing.” The older teen didn’t sound thrilled about this information and Logan bit his lip as he searched for something to say in response. 

Luckily, he didn’t have to because suddenly Emile was sitting up straight and smiling at Logan. “Tonight’s been really fun Logan. I like talking to you.”

Logan held back a small urge to correct the sentence, as Emile had done most of the talking and a more accurate statement would be that Emile enjoyed talking at Logan. Instead, Logan nodded silently. 

Again, Logan’s voice wasn’t needed to respond. Apparently, neither was Emile’s, because the older teen had leaned in to press his lips gently against Logan's. 

Unsure how to react, Logan stayed perfectly still. He wasn’t unhappy with the situation, quite the opposite, but nobody had ever kissed him before… He didn’t want to disappoint. Gently, he placed his hands on Emile's hips. The gentle smile he felt against his lips served as a reward of sorts and Logan allowed his eyes to close. Emile’s lips were just as soft as they looked, and the kiss matched the personality Logan had come to know - gentle, soft, but with an eager undertone that nearly overwhelmed Logan.

An embarrassing squeak fled from Logan as Emile carefully crawled into his lap. Both of their faces sported pink blushes, but Logan’s had spread over his ears and down his chest in seconds as the kiss continued on deeper. 

Emile’s hands were everywhere in seconds, excitedly running through Logan’s hair or sliding down the twin's arms… Logan was forced to gasp and pull away when a hand slid under his shirt to gently stroke the skin of his stomach and chest.

“Too much?” Emile giggled, face flushed and lips slightly parted to allow his heavy breathing. “Sorry, Lo-Lo,” he continued, a slightly serious tone to his voice. “I just… I really like you. But we can take this slow if you want.” 

His smile strained, Logan nodded quickly. “Yes… Um… Slow is much preferable.” 

Emile nodded back and Logan was appreciative of the second years understanding, even if he felt slightly embarrassed by his own shyness. 

“May I kiss you again?” Emile asked and Logan barely had time to nod his affirmative before gentle lips were once again on his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh... I know I promised a longer chapter but I had to rewrite this one a lot cause I keep making Emile too... Remy-like. Anyway, hope y'all like it!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil meets Roman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This may be the shortest chapter of this fanfiction and, though I say this every chapter, it is definitely my least favourite.
> 
> I don't know what happened but I just couldn't write this chapter well and I kept forgetting where I wanted to go with it... It's bad and Virgil is a disastrous OOC weirdo but... Eh. It's what you're getting.
> 
> #SorryNotSorry

Virgil huffed rather dramatically as his fingers traced the pattern of the wooden table beneath him. It’d been nearly a full hour and he hadn’t caught so much as a glimpse of his twin yet. 

It was weird to be sitting so close to a party, he’d realised in his time at the table. He could hear a million voices all shouting at once and yet could still make out every word in the terrible song playing. On top of that, he could smell alcohol that was undoubtedly snuck in by older students… 

Logan wouldn’t get wrapped up in drinking… Would he? Virgil wasn’t sure. Typically something like that would get a hard no from the logical twin, but this Emile was cute enough that Virgil worried about his twin getting swayed. His anxiety ate away at him with the thought. 

With no distractions, the anxious thoughts took over his mind and he was quick to pull breathing exercises to the forefront of his mind. They helped. 

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, breathing in odd -- yet soothing -- patterns before he heard a thud beside him followed by breathy chuckles. 

Typically, Virgil would ignore the presence of another person because it wasn’t Logan -- he would know if it was Logan, he didn’t need to look -- but his curiosity was pulled. Why? He reasoned that, perhaps, being in a new environment on his own made him want to know more. 

So, holding his breath, he raised his head from the table and peered over the wall of his purple-clad arm. 

The first thing he noticed was the rush of air leaving his own lungs when he caught sight of the gorgeous statue sitting beside him. But… No… Not a statue, he realized belatedly. The creature was moving, chest rising and falling in heavy breaths and mouth moving around words as he turned to face Virgil. 

Virgil's mind flashed with an appetizing image of those lips against his own, moving for different reasons. 

And those eyes! The bright blue seemed to hold golden sparkles in their depths, like gold glimmering at the bottom of a deep lake. 

Suddenly a solid weight fell onto Virgil’s shoulder and his mind supplied the helpful knowledge that it was the creatures hand, giving him a gentle squeeze. Why?

The stranger’s eyebrows knit together suddenly, his mouth moving in slower motions, around words that Virgil could tell would be worried if only he could hear them-

With a shock, he realized he could hear them. Very clearly, in fact.   
“-okay? Buddy?”

“What?” Virgil sat straight, accidentally knocking the hand away in his haste to listen. How stupid had he looked, just staring blankly and not answering this whole time?! He racked his mind trying to think of what the handsome boy had just said, but he came up empty.

A hearty laugh broke his thoughts and the sound made a lopsided smile fall on the twins' face. It sounded like… like… Well, nothing he’d ever heard before. 

“So you can talk! I was worried there for a second, dude.”

Virgil continued to stare, lamely shrugging in reply. 

“Ah, the silence continues…” A chuckle replaced the boisterous laughter. “Well, that’s alright I guess. I just came over for a break from…” He gestured vaguely towards the crowd, and Virgil glanced over despite having seen the horde already. 

Gulping, Virgil prepared a response in his mind. Something eloquent, witty, something that this specimen of nature would remember… “Oh-- Uh… Yeah…” 

Nailed it. 

“I’m Roman,” the stranger stated with an outstretched hand and a grin.

Something about that name seemed familiar, somehow, but Virgil paid it no mind. Hesitantly, Virgil shook Roman’s hand. “Virgil,” he replied, wincing when his voice cracked on the syllables. 

Grinning, Roman scooted to sit closer to Virgil. “I like it. So, Virgil, who are you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Who are you?”

When Roman continued to stare expectantly, Virgil shrugged weakly in response. 

It seemed this answer wasn’t sufficient because Roman released a loud, overdramatic groan and rolled his eyes. “What do you like to do? Where did you come from? What’s your story?” Smirking, the taller teen turned to look Virgil head-on and poked him with each syllable as he asked, once again, “Who. Are. You?” 

Virgil didn’t comment on the fact that Roman sounded a little bit like the Caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland.

“I’m… I’m just Virgil. Virgil Sanders.” Really, he probably could have answered some of Roman’s questions had he wanted to, but he barely knew the other boy at all. They literally, literally, just met. 

“Nobody is just their name,” Roman replied.

The purple-clad twin couldn’t disagree more.

“Well who are you then, Roman?” he asked snarkily, happy that his wits seemed to be slowly returning as his brain fought off anxiety. Fight or flight, y’know?

But Roman simply grinned happier at the question and Virgil changed his previous idea -- this boy wasn’t the Caterpillar, he was the damn Cheshire Cat. “Well, that’s easy. I’m a prince!”

There was a pause, a silent moment filled with disbelief and amazement… 

Until Virgil burst into laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment what you want to see next because I'm lost and losing inspiration fast... >~<


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